AP has Lowest Marriage Age for Women

Andhra Pradesh’s marriageable age among women is the lowest in the country, while on the other hand, the state has a high rate of anemia in women. Statistics released by Academy for Nursing Studies and Women’s Empowerment Research Studies and two other organisations ahead of the International Human Rights Day, show that AP has failed to reduce the incidence of anemia among pregnant women, improve female literacy and increase marriageable age of girls. The marriageable age for women here is 19.9 years as against 22.7 years in Kerala, 22.4 years in Tamil Nadu and 20.5 in Maharashtra. Even in states like Uttar Pradesh and Assam, the marriageable age is 20.2 and 21.1 respectively.

– arbroath.blogspot.com

Addressing a press meet here on Saturday, ANSWERS’ executive director, Dr M. Prakasamma, Human Rights Law Network coordinator M.A. Shakeel and Society of Midwives India AP president K. Sujawathi, said that though the state government has succeeded in increasing the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate and reducing Total Fertility Rate, it has failed to control the Maternal Mortality Ratio. They said the MMR in AP is 134, which is the highest for any southern state. The prevalence of anemia is 62.9 per cent among pregnant women, as against 32.8 in Kerala and 53.2 in Tamil Nadu.